Following their decision to decline an invitation to the Carling Nations Cup, the English FA have invited the Republic of Ireland to participate in a new look, one-off competition which would also include Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
The establishment of the tournament is still in the early stages, with the FA yet to decide on the format, the duration and the match venues.
It had been suggested that it was to be an expansion of the old Home Nations tournament, which was last contested between England, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales in 1984.
But FA general secretary Alex Horne poured cold water on the idea it could become a permanent arrangement.
“We’re talking to the home nations about a possible one-off round of matches with them,” said Horne, speaking at the official announcement of the FA’s new partnership with Vauxhall.
“I think we’d be talking about a series of one-off matches in 2013 to mark our 150th anniversary.”
The Carling Nations Cup, which involves Ireland, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, kicks off with the clash between Ireland and Wales at the Aviva Stadium next month, with the concluding matches to be played at the same venue at the end of May.
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